The present invention relates generally to an inflatable air mattress specially adapted for promoting safe and healthy sleep for infants, and more particularly to a multi-chambered air mattress that includes a separately inflatable life cradle and safely cradle combination which is centrally positioned in the mattress to encourage and condition infants to sleep on their backs.
Methods and apparatus for promoting safe and healthy sleep for infants have been the subject of a significant amount of serious thought and development over the years. Baby mattresses, crib sleeping arrangements and bedding apparatus of all types have evolved over many years leading to a good amount of innovative and inventive techniques. Virtually all of these approaches address one or more of the basic sleep needsxe2x80x94infant comfort, healthy support and infant safety. In recent years a new factor has emerged to render many of the previously accepted techniques and devices of questionable safety value. Specifically, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been found to be a major consideration regarding how infants"" sleeping arrangements are viewed, beyond the traditional comfort and support aspects. Prone sleeping is associated with spontaneous face-down sleeping in infants. The face-down position is associated with rebreathing expired gases, including carbon dioxide, and increased carbon dioxide lung pressure in normal infants. In some cases the amounts are sufficient to cause infant death [J. Pediatrics, Vol. 123, p686 (1993)]
While many babies need the security of being snugly wrapped in a blanket, and many people use towels, blankets, stuffed toys and the like to brace or secure their infants, it has recently been recommended that infants should preferably be conditioned to sleep on their backs. And further preferably on a firm mattress with no soft items near them. Indeed, the chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics"" Task Force recommends that babies sleep on their backs. The same recommendations also come from the SIDS Alliance. The reasoning is to allow for greater circulation of breathing air. Pillows, however, are typically very soft and assume the contour of the overlying infant. Consequently, there is a danger that the infant may suffocate if the child""s face becomes directed toward the pillow.
Descriptions of typical prior art approaches may be found in a number of U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,031 to Swift, Jr. teaches the use of a mesh hammock which is supported a short distance above a baby crib mattress so that infants may more safely sleep on their stomachs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,008 to Bowman proposes an infant restraint apparatus wherein pairs of side straps are secured to a wedge-shaped support member which is positioned on a slanted angle within a baby crib.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,941 to Marcus provides a teaching of including a sponge rubber body within an inflatable mattress chamber. The sponge body stands on a number of legs (four are shown) and is used in combination with an inlet valve to aid in inflation of the mattress.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,768 to Harding discloses a maternity mattress having an adjustably sized womb well suitably positioned within the mattress to support comfortable sleep for women as their pregnancy progresses.
While each of these prior art devices and approaches functions more or less well, they have not to date provided an optimum solution to the recently recognized needs of baby sleeping accommodations. This is especially the case regarding conditioning and encouraging babies to sleep on their backs to minimize SIDS risk. This is also the case regarding contemporary needs for infant sleeping accommodations calling for mobility for travel so that a baby will always have its own safe, comfortable and familiar personal mattress. It is exactly this set of needs that the present invention admirably meets.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved multiple section inflatable mattress for infants which will overcome the disadvantages of the prior art methods and apparatus.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved infant mattress having a central section which includes a life cradle area disposed above a safety cradle to safely and comfortably support a sleeping infant.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a life cradle area which may be variably inflated so as to accommodate an infant as the infant grows, with the life cradle positioned above a safety cradle which is filled with strong and resilient material to support an infant in the event of unwanted cradle deflation.
In a preferred embodiment, a baby mattress is formed to include a number of separately inflatable sections. A pair of mirror image end sections enclose a central section made up of two vertically disposed cradles which produce the unique and valuable features afforded by the invention. The uppermost life cradle area portion of the central section may be inflated at various pressures to produce a telescoping well variable in size and stiffness. Beneath the life cradle there is positioned an inflatable safety cradle portion of the central section which is filled in substantial part with a firm and durable foam rubber element. The safety cradle serves to safely and smoothly support an infant in the event of unwanted deflation of either of the cradles, The baby mattress further includes a number of auxiliary elementsxe2x80x94such as baffles, gussets and height limiting ribbons, and the likexe2x80x94to provide integrated dynamic and static support for both the mattress itself and the mattress/infant combination.